Azarenka bursting with pride after dethroning Serena at Indian Wells

Johannesburg : After upsetting world number one Serena Williams in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, eighth-ranked Victoria Azarenka has admitted that she feels proud after claiming the title and believes her hard work is paying off.

The 26-year-old produced an imperious form as she stunned Serena 6-4, 6-4 to capture the title for the second time and 19th career singles titles overall.

Reflecting on her win, Azarenka said that she was extremely aggressive during the match and pointed out that she managed to use her serves in the way she always wanted to do so.

The Belarusian also insisted that she had started aiming for big goals which is helping her in shifting the momentum on the big stage.

The summit showdown, which lasted for about one and a half hour, also saw Serena committing 33 unforced errors and five double faults, Sport24 reported.

Expressing her views on her defeat, Serena said she failed to execute her game plans properly.

With the win, Azarenka has also denied Serena a chance to become the first three-time winner of the Indian Wells women’s event.

The victory also helped Azarenka to make a return to the top ten in the world for the first time since 2014, climbing up to the eight spot. (ANI)